The Computing Research Association’s Committee on Widening Participation in Computing Research (CRA-WP)

---

Our mission is to widen the participation and improve the access, opportunities, and positive experiences of individuals from populations underrepresented in computing research and education.

We encourage the participation and increased representation of:

• Women
• Black/African American
• Native American/ Alaskan Native/ Pacific Islander
• Hispanic/Latinx
• Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Trans, Queer, Asexual, Intersex
• Persons with disabilities
• Veterans

We understand that these identities are non-exhaustive and will continue to evolve over time.

Our programs, people, and materials provide mentoring and support at every level of the research pipeline: undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and government & industry researchers.

CRA-WP strives to ensure that our activities have a positive impact on all underrepresented groups in CSE. We are committed to improving the working environment and increasing the success of all Computer Scientists and Engineers, without regard for gender, race, sexual orientation or socioeconomic background.

CRA-W was established in 1991 with the mission of increasing the success and participation of Women in Computing Research. Since that time, we have organized many, many programs at various levels to engage, encourage, and sustain women in computing. In 2004, CRA-W first partnered with the Coalition to Diversify Computing (CDC) to engage and increase the participation of individuals from additional underrepresented groups in computing. In 2008, this partnership became a BPC Alliance, further expanding and strengthening our outreach and programmatic efforts. Over the past decade, our programs have quite naturally shifted from being initially women-only or women-focused, to being increasingly co-ed, with a mission of serving a wide range of constituencies. This natural progression towards broadening our scope to address all forms of underrepresentation in computing continues to motivate and drive our extremely dedicated board of volunteers.

In July 2019, CRA-W officially became CRA Committee on Widening Participation (CRA-WP) to reflect our broader mandate.